Your Local Weather

An illustration of the JPSS-1 satellite, including instruments and other key components. Image: NOAA, BATC

The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS for short) is a joint venture between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA.). Though there are many goals and uses for this particular satellite, for the meteorological community, the most important factor will be the ability to acquire advanced and numerous types of vertical data from the top of the atmosphere all the way down to the surface of the Earth twice a day over every single location on Earth. This acquired, advanced atmospheric data will then be fed directly into various computers with the ultimate goal of sizable and noticeable improvements to computer models that meteorologists use every day in making weather forecasts.

The satellite is being put together and manufactured by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation in Broomfield, CO. The “-1” part of the name is from the fact that it is the first of four of these satellites that will be launched over the next 15 years. The anticipated launch date for JPSS-1 is September 21st of this year from Vandenburg Air Force Base in California. The launch of JPSS-1 and other mini-satellites on the payload onboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta 2 rocket has been pushed back twice, originally scheduled for January and then March and finally to September of this year due to concerns that arose during Ball Aerospace’s exhaustive, multi-step environmental testing procedures. According to Ball Director of Marketing and Communications Jackie Berger, “We continue to work closely with NOAA, the NWS and the contractor teams to achieve the September 21, 2017 launch date.”

A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket model is on display at Ball Aerospace. Photo: Weatherboy

According to Dr. Alexandra Lockwood, Communications Specialist for NOAA, the JPSS-1 is a polar orbiting satellite. “These types of satellites map out the Earth analogous to how a potato peeler works on a potato, as a slight slant in the satellite’s orbit allows it to completely map out every location on the Earth twice a day. The JPSS-1 will replace an experimental satellite called the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership. Once JPSS-1 is in orbit, data will begin transmitting almost immediately though the data will not be used for several months so NOAA and NWS data analysts can examine the information coming in and confirm that it is accurate.”

There are 5 separate, high-tech “pieces” to the JPSS-1 but meteorologists are most interested in 3 of them, the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) and the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS). These 3 devices will work together to send back to Earth advanced atmospheric data that will be fed directly into the supercomputers that our government uses to run the U.S. based computer weather models. Greg Mandt, Director of the NOAA side of the JPSS, compared the data that JPSS will be able to acquire to “launching thousands, if not millions, of weather balloons twice a day from nearly every location on Earth.”

Alex Chernushin describes how the instruments onboard the JPSS-1 are organized at a media event on June 19., 2017. Photo: Weatherboy

Alex Chernushin, the JPSS-1 Program Manager, described the features of the satellite at a media event held on Monday. Chernushin said that all parts of the JPSS project, from the manufacturing of the instruments to the eventual putting together of the satellite was “exhaustive and intense. No stone was left unturned, nothing was done hurriedly and no corners were cut.” He described a multi-step testing procedure that included putting the satellite and its instruments through extremely loud noises, a violent rocking and shaking test (both simulated the types of forces the satellite would experience in the rocket takeoff), extreme radiation levels (so this satellite would be able to withstand space weather events such as coronal mass ejections from the Sun) and even collisions from the ever-increasing problem of space junk. “Even though the JPSS-1 has the ability to withstand small, less-extreme collisions in orbit from various space junk, it also has the capability of avoiding larger collisions through a propulsion system,” Mr. Chernushin explained.

The satellite is equipped by batteries that have the ability to recharge thanks to the presence of solar panels that are able to be stretched out when the JPSS-1 is in the sunlight. “Even though the instruments on-board the JPSS-1 are incredibly high-tech, the power drain of all 5 of them is comparable to a toaster oven. So the battery system that that powers the instruments can be expected to last about 7 years, right around the time the 2nd JPSS is expected to be launched into orbit.”, explained Mr. Chernushin.

Though the meteorological aspects of this satellite are foremost in our minds, the other aspects and types of data can not be ignored. Some other advanced capabilities of JPSS-1 will be the detection and measurement of vegetation greenness and health, the color of the ocean and its radiation footprint, sea ice/snow cover depth and extent, volcanic ash plumes, fire and smoke coverage, tracking oil spills and even ozone measurement.

The Air Force’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle mission 4 lands at NASA ‘s Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility, Fla., May 7, 2017. Managed by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, the X-37B program is the newest and most advanced re-entry spacecraft that performs risk reduction, experimentation and concept of operations development for reusable space vehicle technologies. Photograph: US Air Force

The mysterious X-37B, an experimental spacecraft/aircraft flown by the US Air Force, landed in Florida over the weekend.

After circling Earth for an unprecedented 718 days, the X-37B as OTV-4 touched down Sunday, May 7, at the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The landing at the SLF was the first since the final space shuttle mission landed on Earth in July 2011. The landing occurred at 7:47am, triggering a sonic boom that was heard over a large part of central Florida.

“Today marks an incredibly exciting day for the 45th Space Wing as we continue to break barriers,” said Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith, the 45th Space Wing commander. “Our team has been preparing for this event for several years, and I am extremely proud to see our hard work and dedication culminate in today’s safe and successful landing of the X-37B.”

“The landing of OTV-4 marks another success for the X-37B program and the nation,” said Lt. Col. Ron Fehlen, X-37B program manager. “This mission once again set an on-orbit endurance record and marks the vehicle’s first landing in the state of Florida. We are incredibly pleased with the performance of the space vehicle and are excited about the data gathered to support the scientific and space communities. We are extremely proud of the dedication and hard work by the entire team.”

The Air Force’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle mission 4 lands at NASA ‘s Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility, Fla., May 7, 2017. Managed by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, the X-37B program is the newest and most advanced re-entry spacecraft that performs risk reduction, experimentation and concept of operations development for reusable space vehicle technologies. Photograph: US Air Force

While the US Air Force shared those remarks of satisfaction, they’ve said little else. The X-37B unmanned plane looks like a miniature space shuttle; it is 29 feet long and has a wing span of about 15 feet; it is roughly a quarter the size of the original space shuttle. The Boeing-built space plane was launched in May 2015 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. An Atlas 5 rocket built by United Launch Alliance, a partnership between Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co, carried the plane. No details were shared of when/where the craft entered space nor were any details of what it did above the Earth made public. Details of how it is flown and the technology on-board is classified.

The US Air Force has two X-37B craft in its fleet, but the program cost is kept secret.

The X-37B made its first flight in April 2010 and returned back to Earth after eight months of travel. In March 2011, a second mission was launched and it lasted 15 months. In December 2012, a third flight took place ; that mission lasted 22 months away from Earth. The X-37B typically lands at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California; this weekend’s launch was the first at Florida’s Space Coast.

According to the US Air Force, the next X-37B mission is likely to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station later this year. The specific timing and purpose are being kept secret.

This composite color full-disk visible image is from 1:07 p.m. EDT on January 15, 2017 and was created using several of the 16 spectral channels available on the GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) instrument. The image shows North and South America and the surrounding oceans. GOES-16 observes Earth from an equatorial view approximately 22,300 miles high, creating full disk images like these, extending from the coast of West Africa, to Guam, and everything in between. Image: NOAA

NOAA’s GOES-16 satellite, formerly known as GOES-R, has sent its first, high resolution images back to Earth. These images from GOES-16’s new Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) instrument show the complete full disk of the Western Hemisphere and the continental United States in all 16 channels of the ABI instrument. We were at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on November 19 when the rocket carrying the satellite into space was launched. The images made public today were snapped on January 15. The satellite will continue to go through a diagnostic and testing phase for the next several months before becoming fully operational later this fall.

GOES-16 was launched on Nov. 19, 2016 at 6:42pm EST from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The first images usher in a new era of Earth and space weather observation for the U.S. “Seeing these first images from GOES-16 is a foundational moment for the team of scientists and engineers who worked to bring the satellite to launch and are now poised to explore new weather forecasting possibilities with this data and imagery,” said Stephen Volz, Ph.D., NOAA’s Assistant Administrator for Satellite and Information Services. “The incredibly sharp images are everything we hoped for based on our tests before launch. We look forward to exploiting these new images, along with our partners in the meteorology community, to make the most of this fantastic new satellite.” GOES-16 is the first spacecraft in the GOES-R series of four new NOAA geostationary satellites, capturing higher resolution images of weather patterns and atmospheric phenomena than any of NOAA’s GOES satellites to-date. The higher resolution will allow forecasters to pinpoint the location of severe weather with greater accuracy, ultimately saving lives.

“This image is much more than a pretty picture, it is the future of weather observations and forecasting,” said Louis W. Uccellini, Ph.D., director, NOAA’s National Weather Service. “High resolution imagery from GOES-16 will provide sharper and more detailed views of hazardous weather systems and reveal features that previous instruments might have missed, and the rapid-refresh of these images will allow us to monitor and predict the evolution of these systems more accurately. As a result, forecasters can issue more accurate, timely, and reliable watches and warnings, and provide better information to emergency managers and other decision makers.”

In May, NOAA will determine where to “park” the weather satellite; it’ll either focus on the western or eastern US and be labeled as “GOES-West or GOES-East accordingly. The next spacecraft in the series, GOES-S, is slated for lift-off next spring. It is currently undergoing environmental testing at Lockheed Martin’s Littleton, CO facility, where it was built. The full set of environmental, mechanical, and electromagnetic testing will take about a year to complete. After its initial on-orbit checkout, the GOES-S satellite will be moved into its new operational position as GOES-17. GOES-17 will then become GOES-East or -West, depending on what comes of the final “parking” spot for GOES-16 now.

GOES-16 captured this view of the moon as it looked across the surface of the Earth on January 15. Like earlier GOES satellites, GOES-16 will use the moon for calibration. Image: NOAA

This image clearly shows the significant storm system that crossed North America that caused freezing and ice that resulted in dangerous conditions across the United States on January 15, 2017 resulting in loss of life. GOES-16 will offer 3x more spectral channels with 4x greater resolution, 5x faster than ever before. Image: NOAA

From its central location, GOES-16 captured this image of the west coast of the United States and the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. Once GOES-16 is determined to be operational as either GOES-East or GOES-West, GOES-S, the next spacecraft in the series, which is planned for launch in Spring 2018 will be moved into the other operational position as GOES-17. Image: NOAA